


handle with care

by andnowforyaya



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Band Fic, Fainting, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8767807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andnowforyaya/pseuds/andnowforyaya
Summary: The first time Kihyun stumbles, Hoseok is there to correct him, and the slip is barely noticed. Hyunwoo notices, though, and frowns as he goes through the dance, the stage lights hot on his shoulders and blinding him against the crowd. He can hear fans chanting, but it looks like a sea of black with pinpricks of green and white from fans’ signs.





	

**Author's Note:**

> uh, i had this sitting around in my drafts so i decided to finish and post it. yikes.

Hyunwoo makes his rounds to the members as they wait backstage, their makeup caked to their faces and their outfits starting to stick to their skin. All the bright lights around the vanity mirrors, the vocal warm-ups, and the many bodies make the room hot and stuffy, and he sees Changkyun pacing in a small area in front of the door with a portable fan in hand pointed at his face as he recites his lines.

“You’ll do fine. You’ve practiced this a million times,” Hyunwoo says as he approaches their youngest, and Changkyun’s eyes widen before he relaxes and smiles.

“I know, hyung,” he says. “I just get nervous before the first stage.”

“We all do,” Hyunwoo says. Changkyun nods, grateful, and Hyunwoo’s gaze moves over to Hoseok and Minhyuk in the corner by a rack of clothes, practicing the same eight-count of dance moves over and over again. Jooheon is looking into the mirror, trilling his lips to relax them so he can attack his rapid-fire lines on stage. Hyungwon is on the couch, napping. Hyunwoo sighs at that, but moves on.

Kihyun is uncharacteristically quiet. For this comeback, they’ve dyed his hair back to black, and it feels subdued compared to the soft pink it was before. Hyunwoo spots the smaller singer on the couch near Hyungwon, in his outfit, the leather jacket he’s to wear draped over his shoulders as he holds his head in his hands. Concerned, he walks over to Kihyun in a few loping steps to stand before him.

“Kihyun,” he says, “you okay?”

“‘m fine,” Kihyun mumbles. “Just a little lightheaded. It’s too hot in here.”

“Drink some water,” Hyunwoo says, sitting down next to him. Kihyun’s body leans against his when the cushion dips. “Do you want me to get you some?”

He knows Kihyun is just getting over a nasty cold, and that preparations for this comeback didn’t help the recovery. Kihyun gave it his all, as he always does, working extra hard to keep up with them when his body needed rest instead. Hyunwoo remembers how he had to ban Kihyun from the practice room one day upon threat of cutting his vocal practice, too. That was the only way he could make Kihyun stay in the dorms, and when they returned that evening they found Kihyun as a lump on the couch under almost all of their covers, sleeping, much to everyone’s relief.

“Water would be great,” Kihyun says. “Thanks, hyung.”

Hyunwoo goes to fetch Kihyun some water, and brings it back to him. Kihyun takes it with a soft smile, and sips it slowly.

“It helps,” he says, looking up at Hyunwoo, his eyes darkly lined. When he’s done, he tips the cup upside down as though to prove he’s drunk it all, and Hyunwoo laughs.

“Okay,” Hyunwoo says. “We’re up in five. Let’s get everyone together.”

.

It’s a fast song, and their dance is a challenging one.

The first time Kihyun stumbles, Hoseok is there to correct him, and the slip is barely noticed. Hyunwoo notices, though, and frowns as he goes through the dance, the stage lights hot on his shoulders and blinding him against the crowd. He can hear fans chanting, but it looks like a sea of black with pinpricks of green and white from fans’ signs.

Halfway through the song, Kihyun stumbles again, and misses his cue to begin his verse. Minhyuk takes over as Kihyun catches his breath and tries to catch up, his eyes too wide, two spots of bright pink high on his cheeks.

They should stop, Hyunwoo thinks, but the stage is already in progress, and no matter what, Monsta X always puts on a good show.

It’s like he can sense it before it happens. The song reaches the bridge, a softer part where Kihyun’s vocals always shine, and the attention is on the main vocalist. Kihyun sings through to the end of it, to when the bridge melts and builds up back into the chorus, but he’s panting as the others join him gradually, and then he’s stopped singing, and then he’s holding his head, and then he’s falling.

Hyunwoo always thought fainting was slower. He imagined it to be like a leaf fluttering to the ground.

But Kihyun drops with all the grace of a sack of rice, and Hyunwoo is barely fast enough to slide and get under him to catch him before his head hits the ground.

For eight counts, the others are still dancing. For eight counts, the show goes on.

Jooheon is the first to drop his mic, the loud thunk and feedback whistling through the speakers, and rush to them, and Hoseok moves quickly after, tears already rolling down his cheeks. Kihyun's head is in Hyunwoo's lap and his eyes are closed and he won’t wake up, and the lights are dimming to black. The others are asking Hyunwoo if Kihyun is okay, but Hyunwoo doesn’t know. He can’t answer them. Kihyun is limp and unresponsive. He looks like he’s asleep.

“Shownu-sshi?” someone is saying near his ear as the curtains in front of the stage, so seldom used, close, hiding them from the audience’s view. The lights gradually come back on behind the curtains where they are, and it is garish and awful. Kihyun’s face is pale, his skin almost translucent. “Shownu-sshi? I’m a medic. I’m just going to look at Kihyun-sshi. Can I do that?”

Hyunwoo, dazed, loosens his arms, his hold on Kihyun, and peers into the face of a stranger wearing a white polo shirt and slacks. “Is he okay?” Hyunwoo whispers.

“We’re going to make sure of it,” the medic says kindly, smiling a professional smile. There are other medics, too. They ask the group to step back, and when Kihyun still doesn’t wake, they move him onto a stretcher, and take him away.

.

Kihyun stays overnight at the hospital. Hyunwoo paces the small living room of their dorm, not sleeping, knowing the others aren’t sleeping, either. At times like this he wonders if he should have been named leader. Would Hoseok have let this happen? No -- Hoseok and Kihyun are almost glued at the hip, and Hoseok would have known Kihyun wasn’t up for the performance.

He throws himself onto the couch, wondering if he should have spoken up more to Kihyun before the performance, when he saw Kihyun wasn’t feeling well. If he should have spoken to their managers, pleading Kihyun’s case for him to rest. He hears the floor creaking, and Hoseok enters the living room in his slippers and a large hoodie, yawning.

“Can’t sleep?” he asks Hyunwoo, his voice gravelly.

“Not really,” Hyunwoo says.

“He wouldn’t have listened to you, anyway,” Hoseok says like he can read Hyunwoo’s thoughts. “If you told him to sit it out. Believe me, so don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I’m not,” Hyunwoo says, even though he is. Kihyun had felt so light in his arms, so hollow-boned. It hurts.

“When he comes back,” Hoseok says, “I’m gonna make him drink so much chicken soup. And sleep. I’m going to make him sleep so much.” Hyunwoo’s laughter surprises them both. He rubs his fingers together. Hoseok comes to sit next to him on the couch, his eyes bright and watery. “He’ll be okay, right?”

“With you on him like that? Of course.”

Hoseok hums, pleased, and relaxes into the couch, head lolling over the the back cushion. “Now, sleep,” Hoseok says. He shifts to put his head on Hyunwoo’s shoulder. “Kihyun will be mad if you don’t.”

“Pfft,” Hyunwoo says. “Even when he’s not here he’s still nagging.”

But he shifts his weight on the couch and pulls Hoseok down with him, and they lay side by side in the narrow space together, finding comfort in the nearness of the other. Hyunwoo closes his eyes and listens to the sound of Hoseok’s breathing deepening as he drifts to sleep.

.

Hyunwoo gets a message from their manager at six in the morning that Kihyun will be released from the hospital later that day. He wakes, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and nearly shoving Hoseok off the couch by accident with his movements. There’s already someone in the kitchen; for a brief moment, he thinks it is Kihyun making them breakfast, like he always does, but he sees a head of ashy-brown hair and knows it’s Changkyun, instead.

“Oh, hyung,” Changkyun whispers, when he sees that Hyunwoo has risen. “I was just making tea. For when Kihyun comes back. Do you think we should make some porridge? Sick people eat porridge, right?”

“Kihyun’s the only one who knows how to make porridge,” Hyunwoo says bluntly, deciding not to comment on how irrational it is to make a pot of tea hours in an advance of Kihyun's arrival, and noticing a little too late the downturn of Changkyun’s lips as he walks toward him and Hoseok on the couch with a mug in his hands. “But I’m sure we could look up a recipe,” he quickly amends.

Hoseok grumbles something unintelligible, his face buried in the cushions of the couch. When Hyunwoo nudges him to clarify, Hoseok turns and groans, “What are you doing awake so early?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Changkyun says. “And I was hungry.”

“We didn’t eat dinner,” Hoseok realizes with a small chuckle. “Wow, we’re a mess?”

“I kept seeing him fall,” Changkyun whispers, sipping at the tea in his mug. It’s too hot, and he burns his tongue, a pinched expression on his face. “It was so scary.”

Hyunwoo bites the inside of his cheek. He keeps seeing Kihyun fall, too, over and over again, the sudden drop, the vacuum of noise it created as Hyunwoo rushed to catch him. “He’s okay, now,” Hyunwoo says to them both, as Hoseok sits up slowly. “Manager-hyung said he’s going to be released today.”

“Really?” Hoseok asks, the disbelief clear on his face. Or shock. Hyunwoo isn’t sure. Hoseok’s eyes widen even further. “We have to make the dorm _spotless_ , guys. No room for Kihyun to stress.”

This time it’s Changkyun who laughs. “He might faint again just from seeing us clean.”

But the idea catches as Hoseok’s eyes twinkle, and soon enough the others are a wake and curious and eager for Kihyun to come home. Hoseok puts them to work.

.

Kihyun returns in the late morning escorted by their manager, pale and a little disheveled but otherwise whole. The manager leaves instructions with Hyunwoo that Kihyun is to rest, and drink a lot of liquids, and not be exposed to any loud noises if he can help it.

“He made me add that last part, though,” the manager stage whispers to Hyunwoo, sneaking a glance at Kihyun.

Hyunwoo grins. “We’ll make sure we follow every instruction,” he answers dutifully.

Their manager leaves and then it’s just Kihyun, wearing Hyunwoo’s shirt and a pair of Changkyun’s pajama bottoms because those were the first items of clothing Hyunwoo could find when the manager asked him to prepare a little overnight bag of essentials for the boy spending the night in the hospital. The shirt hangs off of Kihyun’s smaller frame, his collarbones starkly visible.

“Well,” Kihyun says with a skip in his voice, lifting his chin, looking around the dorm to the others who have gathered. “Hi.”

Minhyuk and Hoseok and Changkyun swarm him at the door, herding him to the couch to fret over him, and Jooheon and Hyungwon soon join. When Kihyun yawns, though, Hoseok shoos them all away and nearly carries Kihyun to his bedroom, Kihyun weakly protesting but laughing. Minhyuk follows shortly behind with a slight hop to his step.

Hyunwoo watches from their small kitchen, finishing up cooking them all a late breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. He cooks Kihyun a plate as well, even though he knows Kihyun will complain about the burnt eggs, and brings a large plate full of food over to the bedroom, where Hoseok and Minhyuk are trying to force Kihyun to bed, and Kihyun is trying to make it seem like he doesn’t want to fall over onto it and sleep.

“Welcome back,” Hyunwoo says.

Kihyun pushes at Hoseok and Minhyuk, who obediently stop trying to crush him with their bodies, and says, “I wasn’t gone that long.” He sits on the bed and takes the plate from Hyunwoo onto his lap, and stares at it, his throat bobbing as he swallows. “You cleaned,” he says, looking around.

They’d spent all morning organizing their bedrooms and dusting shelves and corners throughout the dorm. Jooheon had even vacuumed.

“We cleaned,” Hoseok confirms. “What do you think?”

“It’s nice,” Kihyun whispers, his hands clenched into fists on his lap. Minhyuk takes the plate because it’s starting to slide off his thighs, and puts it on the nightstand instead. “It’s really nice,” Kihyun says, eyes watery.

“Changkyun wanted to make you porridge but we didn’t know how,” Hyunwoo explains, pointing at the food. “So, eggs.”

“You cooked me eggs,” Kihyun says, the first tears spilling over onto his cheeks. Hyunwoo raises his eyebrows at Hoseok, alarmed, but Hoseok seems to take this all in stride.

Hoseok cups Kihyun’s cheek and makes him look at him and says, “We wanted to show you that we missed you.”

“I wasn’t gone that long,” Kihyun says again, his nose starting to run. “God, the hospital sucked.”

“It was still too long,” Hyunwoo says. “That shouldn’t ever happen again. To you, or to anyone else on this team.”

Kihyun nods, curling in on himself, before Hoseok loops an arm around his shoulders to pulls him to lean against his side. Minhyuk shifts closer, too, on Kihyun’s other side, taking Kihyun’s hand.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Kihyun says, sniffling into Hoseok’s neck.

“I’m not _blaming_ you for it,” Hyunwoo says, alarmed again. He never says anything right around Kihyun, it seems.

“I ruined our stage,” Kihyun whispers. His hands are shaking. Minhyuk holds his hand tighter. “I was thinking about it all morning. I’m so sorry.”

“You _fainted_ ,” Hyunwoo says, not sure how to move forward, now. He looks at Hoseok, who isn’t looking at him at all but at Kihyun. The singer has his face buried in Hoseok’s chest, shoulders shaking, and Hyunwoo’s heart clenches. Kihyun _hates_ crying. “Kihyun,” he tries, kneeling in front of the other so that he can turn Kihyun’s face toward him and look him in the eyes, “what matters is that you’re okay now. And we’re here for you. That’s all we wanted to try to prove with the cleaning and the cooking. That we can take of ourselves...and you.”

“Oh,” Kihyun says, breathless. Hyunwoo smiles softly at him, rubs his thumb under Kihyun’s eye to wipe away the wet streaks that have gathered there. “Well,” Kihyun says, “your eggs could use work.”

“Brat,” Minhyuk says, flicking Kihyun gently on the forehead. “C’mon, we woke up early to cook and clean and now you’re giving us lip?”

Kihyun pouts and rubs at where Minhyuk flicked him with his palm. “You’re so _mean_.”

Without a thought, Minhyuk pushes Kihyun’s hand away and replaces the palm with his lips in a loud, smacking kiss. Kihyun squeaks when Hoseok follows, and then they’re both pushing him down onto the small bed. The struggle doesn’t last very long, as Kihyun gets winded easily, and lies back limp and panting slightly as Minhyuk and Hoseok move up to curl around him like bookends.

“You’ve been ordered to rest,” Hoseok says. “So, rest please. That was so scary, Kihyun.”

“I’m sorry,” Kihyun mumbles, but Minhyuk puts a finger to his lips.

“Nope, no apologies. You apologize now by resting, and letting us take care of you for a while, deal?”

Kihyun scoots down further on the bed, tucking his chin into his chest. “Fine,” he says moodily, but Hyunwoo can see the way his cheeks flush and his hands seek out the hands of the two other boys.

Hyunwoo stands, feeling his knees creak at the stretch. “If you need anything, we’ll just be outside,” he says, ready to leave them to it. He knows Minhyuk and Hoseok will make sure Kihyun sleeps, and eats, and that he’s generally waited on hand and foot for the next few hours, at least.

“Okay,” Kihyun says; then, in a smaller voice, “Thanks, hyung.”

Hyunwoo closes the door behind him, an inexplicable warmth in his chest blooming.

.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading <3 comments are appreciated
> 
> @ andnowforyaya on twitter


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